20 days at WDW, one mom,two picky kids - updated: Raglan Road

[Goseethemouse]

We just got back from a three-week trip to WDW and I will try to do a dining review as I really enjoy reading them myself. This is my first attempt and I don't know how successful this will be but I will give it a shot...

First my apologies: there are no pictures in this report (I know - sorry!). This is partly due to the fact that I would have felt slightly embarrassed about it but mostly because I was kept pretty busy keeping the kids in line.

Here some background on our trip:

Cast

Me - 38-year old single mom. Have been to WDW four times, twice now with the kids. I do enjoy most foods.

Donald - Older son, turned 7 on the trip. Has gotten much better at trying different foods. On our last trip (at 4.5 years he mostly ate green beans)

Dumbo - Younger son, 4.5 years old. He loves many foods but will not eat meat, cheese, or peanut butter. Exactly: no chicken nuggets, hamburgers, maccaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Luckily, he didn't starve at Disney!

We spent five nights at Caribbean Beach and 10 nights at Pop with free dining. The last five days at Fort Wilderness Cabins we did not have DDP.

While I will comment on the food at the restaurants (obviously, as it is a dining report) I will mostly concentrate at the overall experience. In our case that pretty well boils down to how well the restaurant worked for the children.

Of course, this is very subjective as the kids had good days and others that weren't quite so good. However, I will try to stay as objective as I can.

I didn't keep very good notes so I might be a bit vague, especially in respect to the counterservice meals. However, given the length of our trip that might be for the best. Or do you really want to read ten reviews of ceasar salads?

[Goseethemouse]

Enough background. Here it goes:

Our first meal was breakfast at Chef Mickey. This was also Donald's seventh birthday which made it doubly exciting.

The only ADR we could get was at 7:15 which meant we had to get a taxi to take us to the Contemporary. However, the early ADR worked quite well for us as we had flown in from overseas the night before and the kids were up before 4 am due to the time difference. So it was actually a relief to have something to do around 6:30 or so instead of having to wait for the parks to open.

Well, the Contemporary is not really to my taste (I am more the Grand Floridian type) but Donald enjoys the style. We were there a bit early and got seated right after 7 am. We did the obligatory picture taking but it turned out horrible so it wasn't any hardship to to buy it.

Overall, we really liked this experience. I am not a big breakfast person so this will be the only TS for breakfast. The food was good. I actually don't remember anything spectacular but everything was as expected. I would say there are plenty of choices so it should be easy to find something to like.

Service was good. The juice was refilled quickly and often. Server was very nice and friendly. The characters came around pretty early and interaction was good. I would definitely recommend the restaurant for a birthday celebration. Donald really loved the napkin waving and I believe Chef Mickey's was his favorite restaurant during the trip. Dumbo also was very excited to see the characters and had a great time. Personally, I don't much care to have birds flying around inside restaurants but there weren't too many so it was bearable (you guessed it - I am not a bird person).

Overall:

Food: - Everything tasty but nothing out of the ordinary
Service: - Better than most
Atmosphere: - Characters were great

Would probably do this one again as the boys loved it. Good choice for birthdays.

[bluejasmine]

WOW! Three wks in WDW that would be a dream come true for me! COuld you just list all the restaurants you went to?

[leeann32]

Great start! Can't wait to read more reviews

[Goseethemouse]

Sure, bluejasmine, here is a list of the restaurants we went to:

Chef Mickey
CBR counterservice
Tusker House
Cinderella's Royal Table (lunch)
Sunshine Seasons
San Angel Inn
Teppan Edo
Coral Reef
Everything Pop
Mama Melrose
Raglan Road
Flame Tree BBQ
Crystal Palace
Boma
Le Cellier (lunch)
Tutto Italia
Pizzafari
Ohana
Garden Grill
Trails End
Pizza Planet
Tangierine
Hoop Dee Doo


I am missing a couple of counterservice restaurants in the list. I will add them in if I remember (sorry, unfortunately, I didn't do so good taking notes).

[Goseethemouse]

I spent oodles of time researching the best counterservice meals to be had on the dining plan. However, once we got there I had to pretty much give up that plan. There was just no way we would make our way to a bunch of other resorts for a quick lunch. Relying on Disney transportation it would have just taken too long with the kids. They actually acted pretty good during the trip but once they got hungry/tired I had to get them food and some down time quick or else!

Anyway, we mostly ate at the resort foodcourt for counterservice. As I didn't keep good notes about what we ate when I will just give you a rundown on all the food I remember at Old Port Royale in one post.

Children's pizza: The kids ate way too much pizza on this trip as it pretty much was the only kids meal they like. Disney really has to do something about the options for kids. As Dumbo doesn't eat meat or cheese (luckily, cheese doesn't count as cheese on pizza or we would have had a real problem), his options were very limited. Anyway, the pizza was fine. Nothing spectacular but both boys were happy enough to eat it.

Apple slices with caramel dip: Pretty tasty though the dip was maybe a tad too sweet for my taste.

Celery and carrot sticks with Ranch: Tasty as expected though the celery was a bit stringy.

Breadsticks: Were okay. Not the best I have ever had and we actually only had them once.

Grilled chicken caesar salad: Not bad but not outstanding either. For some reason it was really spicy? I usually enjoy spicy food but it was a bit strange.

Philly Cheesesteak sandwich: The meat was really dry. There was plenty of meat though. Overall, this sandwich was just okay. Edible but not something I would order again.

Beef and blue sandwich: This was definitely the best dish I tried at Old Port Royale. It was REALLY tasty and came with yummy homemade chips. Would have loved to have it a second time but of course didn't discover this sandwich until the end of our stay at CBR.

Service at Old Port Royale was fine and the atmosphere was about what you would expect from a resort foodcourt.

Overall:

About what you would expect with decent food but few big surprises.

Would we eat here again? Certainly if we were staying at CBR but not worth a trip just for the food (unless maybe that beef and blue sandwich)

Next up:

Lunch at Tusker House - Would it live up to my fairly high expectations?

[BeccaGrace]

Three weeks at WDW would be heaven! Can't wait to hear the rest of the reviews...and since dh always gets chicken caesar salads, I'm sure we will have our own review with about 10 of them!

[Goseethemouse]

Our second ADR of the trip was for lunch at Tusker House. After reading many reviews I was quite excited about this restaurants and very much looking forward to it. However, unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations

This was partly due to the fact that we were still struggling with jet lag and even though we had an early lunch time at 11:30 it was getting too late for Dumbo (who kept getting up towards the end of the meal to start walking to the exit).

Still, even without that problem there were some other problems:

There was a really long line at check-in. I believe this was due to the fact that they were changing over from breakfast to lunch and didn't seat anyone for a while, instead waiting for the restaurant to empty a bit. It was VERY hot that day and waiting outside just wasn't a pleasant experience.

Once we did get seated it took a little too long for the server to come by. Now I have to admit that it wasn't THAT long. However, with everyone hot, thirsty and getting tired even a couple minutes seemed an eternity. And the wait seemed a bit long given the fact that the restaurant was almost empty.

Now, one thing that really bothered me was that we were seated at the very end of the restaurant and it was a hike to the buffet. This wouldn't ordinarily bother me too much but after the first plate I usually go to the buffet on my own to get food for all of us (much easier than trying to keep two little boys from making a mess or running into people). However, at Tusker House the distance from the buffet and the LONG lines really were a problem as I was trying to hustle back to our table.

Overall, none of us cared too much for the experience. The restaurant didn't really offer anything especially interesting for the kids to look at and the bother of getting the food really was a problem here.

Also I didn't like the food as much as I expected. I love spicy foods but am not too crazy about foods being sweet (other than dessert of course). Most of the dishes I tried were quite good (though not outstanding) but some of the salads etc. I didn't care for so much. I did like the dessert offerings which seemed rather similar to the ones at Boma. Overall, the food was fine but not as great as I expected.

The server also didn't exactly thrill me. Donald did get a cupcake for his birthday (though I so wish they would bring it out earlier and not after dessert as everyone is too full for it by the time. And as you never know whether you will get a cupcake or not you can't really skip dessert either) but I just kind of felt that he was a bit rushed/not really into the Disney spirit.

Overall:
Food: Pretty good but not as outstanding as I expected
Service: Acceptable
Atmosphere: Long check-in, table too far away from the food, long lines

Would we eat here again? Maybe we would try it for a character breakfast. Probably not again for lunch and certainly not right at 11:30 when they start serving everyone at once.

It wasn't a bad experience but definitely among the ones we enjoyed the least during our trip. However, part of this is probably due to the fact that we were tired/hot and grumpy.

Next up: The eternal question - Is CRT really worth it (and for boys at that)?

[Goseethemouse]

The boys wanted to eat in the castle with the princesses (yes, really) so we did. We got lucky with an 11:50 lunch reservation which was exactly what I wanted (remember, I am not a breakfast person and no princesses at dinner).

Now, CRT is a very orchestrated event. It seems they pretty much seat everyone at once and try to move them through the meal at the same speed so everyone leaves at the same time. This makes sense as the Princesses come out with a short story being told and the wishing ceremony is timed to happen during dessert. I completely understand but it does make for a bit of a rushed feeling.

Anyway, the check in line wasn't too bad. I did feel the picture taking was a bit rushed. I would actually prefer if the picture was not included in the price of the meal. Ours turned out horrible (it was hot and we all have red faces shiny with sunscreen/perspiration) and I definitely would not have bought it.

One quick tip: Even though you take a picture with Cinderella before going upstairs you might not see her during your meal (we didn't). We got a picture but no autograph and had to stand in a line later in the trip to get hers. Not sure whether you couldn't get an autograph at the castle or whether we just didn't do it because I expected Cinderella to show up later.

After the photo taking you go upstairs. The entry/hallway/dining room are really very pretty. We got lucky with a table right at the window! Beautiful.

Now to the food. First, I got a small plate with olives, bread, etc. Quite tasty. However, the main dish arrived almost right away (remember the timing issue I mentioned above?). I ordered the Major Domo's Favorite Pie: shredded beef simmered in rich cabernet sauce, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, crowning a light pastry. I really enjoyed it and thought it was pretty tasty.

I was rather disappointed that the options had changed from the menu on allears, especially for the children's menu. The kids menu was VERY boring . I think it was hot dogs, chicken nuggets or mac and cheese. Nothing that Dumbo would like (remember no meat, cheese or peanut butter). Both boys ordered the hot dogs and were luckily too busy to look at the princesses to care much. Still, I did feel they could have something a bit more "special" given the location and the price for this meal.

The boys had ice cream for dessert and I had a chocolate/cream cheese item that was quite tasty. I am not a big eater so I was usually stuffed by the time dessert came around. That is the main reason you won't see too much excitement about most of the desserts in this review.

The Princesses came around quickly and the interaction was pretty good (though you could definitely tell that they had to move on - pretty much like real princesses I would guess). All the children got a wishing star and the boys a sword each. Personally, I would have prefered the magic wand that girls get (not a fan of swordfights) but the boys loved them. The wishing ceremony was cute and sweet.

Our server was very nice though you could tell she had to keep us moving along. Still, she was quite sweet about it.


Overall:
Food: I know people don't always like it but I really thought it was tasty. However, the kids options were too limited
Service: Nothing to complain about and really very friendly
Atmosphere: Let's face it. The Castle (and the Princesses) are the real draw here and the did a great job

Would we go again? Maybe. The kids food choices were BORING and it is too expensive. I wish they would get rid of the included picture and reduce the price. It is definitely worth going once and we might do it again if the boys expressed an interest (not sure up to what age they would want to visit the Princesses?)

[DLo]

Enjoying your reviews (even without pictures). I have a picky eater in my house but luckily he will eat meat. I f I did reviews, there would be a lot of hamburger and chicken finger reviews!!(no cheese no sauces of any kind including ketchup - I could go on and on) Looking forward to the rest.

[fottafamily05]

Loving your reviews so far!!! Excited for more to come!

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for sharing. I agree with the kids choice in Disney...I tend to get my son from the adult menu or eat at buffet. My son does not eat hot dogs, mac&Cheese, Peanut Butter or jelly sandwich, chicken nuggets. He ates alot of vetables and grilled food and loves tufo (he is not a typical kid taste b/c I eat all that kids stuff so when we are on a meal plan I get what he likes from the adult and he ates part of it and I eat his kids meal). Enjoying your review and can't wait to read more.

[natalielongstaff]

great reviews so far I agree that the kids menus are uninspiring !

[Teddys~Mom]

I'm enjoying your reviews. No worries about the pics. I like your way of describing the overall style and experience in each place(and understand, as a fellow single mom in "the world" , why a place has to work well for chidlren, but I only have one one son and my brother comes with me, I'm thinking you have it a bit more hectic)

[TigerKat]

Signing on!